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Champagne Sorbet With Red Currant Syrup

January 17, 2012

First thing before today's post and recipe: the winner of the Squam Workshop Giveaway is Patti from Peppermint Ph.D! Congratulations! please send me your mailing address at mytartelette AT gmail DOT com so I can forward it to the Squam team.

So strange. So strange to be writing and listening to the sound of my parent's voices in the room above ours. Such a pleasure. After weeks of scheduling and rescheduling, they finally arrived last Wednesday. It's been amazing to see their whole bodies relax and let go of the tension, the sorrow and the worries they have been going through.

It's been wonderful to pick up where we left off since last May when they were here. So many things have changed and so much has stayed the same. I would have loved to have them here when work was less hectic but in a way I am glad they are able to see first hand how a magazine or cookbook shoot goes. What goes into a production meeting, how I organize the shoots, assistants and the studio depending on the task at hand.

They have seen me find the route ahead and stick to it, work and practice constantly and have kept to themselves their worries and doubts as parents. It's nice to be able to share what goes on during a day at work. It's also nice to show them first hand that I don't noodle around until noon in my pj's because I don't have regular work hours.

Above all, it's been so nice to spend time in the kitchen with my mom or engaging in conversations of all kind with my father at the dinner table. I like hearing the mugs clicking comes five o'clock. Sound that a little tea break and a cookie are just around the corner. It had been too long since I'd heard the usual "I know have too much bread on my plate and not enough cheese".

I like observing them and how they interact with life. How they grew old and yet remain so much as I knew them when I was a teenager. I like the wisdom with which I am trying to approach their visit. I know. I did say "trying". What can I say...I have too much of both their temperaments sometimes and things might just get a little heated. Nothing that a glass of Champagne can't fix though.

Right before they arrived, in between two New Year's Champagne toasts, we found ourselves with a couple of opened bottles and only two of us to drink them. During a work week, it proved a bit difficult to tend to them fast enough. I had hoped during the holidays to save enough Champagne to make sorbet. Last week proved to be the perfect time. A little later than planned. I took it as a nice way to prolong the holiday spirit.

I have always liked Kir Royale (with blackcurrant liqueur) or a little raspberry or red currant liqueur in my Champagne. Seeing the red syrup slowly mingle with the bubble and swirl in its descent to the bottom of the glass. I knew I wanted to somehow create the same effect with the sorbet I was making. Since I still had a lot of red currants, I cooked them with lemon juice and honey and made a syrup to be poured over the sorbet right before serving.

The red currant syrup was the perfect hint of tang and contrast to the sorbet. A simple dessert, full of life and generous in flavor.

Directions:In a large saucepan, bring the Champagne, sugar and water to a simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and honey. Stir to combine. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight until cold. When ready to churn, pour the liquid into your sorbet maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once made, keep the sorbet in the freezer until ready to eat. Serve with the red currant syrup drizzled over and some extra red currants of desired.

In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the currants, water, honey and lemon to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for about 30 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Discards the solid and refrigerate the syrup until ready to use.

Have fun with your parents. I know how it feels to have the same temper as your parents and it always gets a bit tense time to time. But it lasts short with a smile and hug:)Beautiful dessert, i am surprised you manage to save the booze:)

Looks lovely/must try! Have been following your beautiful photographs/blog for quit some time :) Would you mind sharing/suggest where I may be able to obtain a similar glass container/wired lid in the 2nd photo? Thanks so much!

I can't get over how utterly beautiful your photography is. Everytime I see it I'm astounded. Let me just say, while this sounds delicious, if it's half as delicious as it looks I would be thrilled! I'm definitely going to make this! Thank youuu!

I would like to wish you, first of all, the greatest year, since so many of your dreams are about to come true and I truly wish you the best, eventhough I do not know you in person; but I guess that when a person decides to share a bit of her life for years with total strangers, and those on the other side decide to follow those flashes willingly, effortlessly and eagerly we kind of become friends. I´m from Portugal, I do not post very often but I follow your blog daily, anticipating with excitment what the news are going to be this time, never disappointing and always revigorated and inspired. Secondly I’d like to thank you for letting a door open for us, so that we could appreciate through time the way you’ve evolved into someone so inspiring, so creative, so meticulous, so spontaneous, but above all, so genuinely true to yourself. Thank you, for I have also grown with you. I’ll keep on coming here, visiting you, hoping that if you come to my country one day, I’ll have the pleasure of welcoming you personally, opening then the doors of my house to you and hoping that you’ll feel at ease, just like I do, everytime I come to your blog. Cheers to you doll! Keep on being very Happy! and i hope that one day you may have time to visit my blog - it would be an honor!

This is really cool! I never thought to make sorbet out of anything other than fruit! LOVE that it's champagne with fruit ON it, rather than IN it (I know it has a wee bit of lemon - but I'm not counting that!)! Thanks!

I love the way you speak of your parents. The clinking of the cups, they way they say things, they way they are. This is what is so beautiful in life. When we realize that the little moments are where we find happiness. Much happiness to you and yours.